Deep In Death: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “Thank you Shelby.” His gaze caught mine, and his eyes glistened with sudden moisture. He blinked a few times and pursed his lips. “I trust you’ll keep this to yourself.”

  “Of course,” I agreed.

  “Good.” With that, he slipped inside the limo and shut the door.

  I hurried back to the car. Chris held the door open for me, and I slid inside. “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “Huh.” Chris shut my door, hurried to the driver’s side and started the car up, thinking that when I said it was nothing, it usually meant it was nothing I wanted to tell him about, which also meant that it was something that could get me in trouble. Why else wouldn’t I tell him?

  “That’s not it,” I said defensively. “It’s something personal to Uncle Joey, and I don’t even know exactly what it is, so how can it get me in trouble?”

  “Um…I don’t know…but you have to admit that with your track record, it’s a possibility.”

  I sighed, not wanting to argue. Mostly because Chris had a point, and from what I’d picked up, it could definitely get me in trouble. So it was probably best to keep it to myself and hope that didn’t happen.

  “So, how are you?” I asked, changing the subject. “How are things going with the kids and everything?”

  “Great,” he answered. “How was your flight?”

  “Good…I could sure get used to flying in a private jet.” Chris concentrated on listening to me and kept his mind curiously blank about anything else. That wasn’t like him. Usually he had several things going on in his mind at once, but not today. Now why was that? Something was off, so I continued to tell him about all the perks while trying to figure out what was wrong. He just nodded and agreed now and then to let me know he was listening, but underneath that, I could tell he was hiding something.

  Sudden fear that something bad had happened to Josh or Savannah clenched my stomach. “Are the kids all right?” I blurted.

  “Of course,” Chris said, his brows furrowed with confusion. “Oh…and there’s a folder on my desk in the den with a bunch of information about Sean Hanley. You might want to take a look at it, and we can talk about what to do tonight.”

  “Oh…that’s great. Thanks. So…everything else is fine?”

  “Yes. Everything’s great.” He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes like there was something wrong with me, and it kind of made me mad. I knew something was going on, but he was blocking his thoughts so well that I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was unsettling to say the least, but short of calling him on it, I didn’t know what else to do. I’d just have to wait until he was ready to tell me what was going on and hope it wasn’t too bad.

  “Wow,” I said. “It’s hard to believe it’s Friday already. At least I’m home in time to pick up the carpool from school. Did Savannah get to dance class okay last night?”

  “Yeah.” He was thinking “barely” and that was part of the reason he’d been so distracted lately. Trying to remember what was going on with the kids, their school work, taking care of dinner, and keeping the house together, along with everything he had going on at work had worn him out. He didn’t know how I did it and worried I’d be disappointed when I got home.

  Picking that up sent a fresh dose of guilt over me and my stomach tightened. Yesterday, I’d had a great time shopping and playing poker, and hadn’t even thought too much about how Chris was faring. Since he didn’t say anything over the phone, I thought he was handling things just fine.

  We pulled into the driveway and Chris pushed the garage-door opener. Now that we were home, I picked up that he was hoping I wouldn’t be too upset with him. He still didn’t know how it happened, but knew I’d be sad. He just hoped I wouldn’t freak out. Too bad he didn’t get a chance to take care of it yesterday before I got home.

  Yikes! I got out of the car with trepidation, worried about what I’d find. Chris smiled and opened the door for me. I stepped inside, grateful to find the living room a little messy, but unchanged. I hurried into the kitchen. There was a lot of clutter on the table and countertops, and a few dishes in the sink, but nothing too bad.

  I glanced out the sliding doors to the patio and my eyes widened with shock. “My swing!” My favorite place in the world to relax and read was completely destroyed. Only strings of charred material remained of the awning, and the cushions below were seared black with big blobs of charred padding falling to the deck. A skeleton of burned and blackened pipe stuck out on one end where the cushions had been completely destroyed.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  Chris put his arm around me and pulled me close. “I’m not sure. I was cooking up some burgers and the next thing I knew the awning was in flames. I grabbed the hose, but the nozzle wasn’t on tight. Once I got it straightened out, the cushions were on fire too. I couldn’t believe how fast it spread. Anyway, I got the fire out, but you can see it pretty much burned up the swing.”

  He was thinking the grill was ruined too, but at least the propane tank hadn’t exploded. That would have been a disaster. “I’m glad I got it out before it spread to the house,” he said. “I’m really sorry. I know how much you loved that swing, but we can get you a new one.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I said, clamping my lips shut so I didn’t say anything that would make him feel worse than he already did. But…still…what the freak! A fire? On the deck? And it could have spread to the house? And the propane gas tank could have exploded? I shook my head and swallowed, grateful Chris couldn’t hear what I was thinking.

  “I wish I could have gotten it cleaned up before you got home, but at least I’ve got someone coming tomorrow to haul it to the dump. Why don’t we get a new swing and grill tomorrow?” He could tell by my pursed lips that I was upset, and he wanted to do something that would help me feel better.

  I took a deep breath and managed a small smile. “Sure. Let’s do that.”

  “Okay, good.” He pulled me close, relieved that I hadn’t freaked out and more relieved that I was home. He’d really missed me this time. “I’ve got to go. Will you be okay?” he asked, checking his watch. “I hate to leave, but I’ve got a meeting with a client in half an hour.”

  “Oh sure, that’s fine. I’m glad you brought me home.”

  “Yeah…well…you can see why I wanted to be here when you saw that. Thanks for not freaking out on me.” He kissed me again, and I felt the stress and tension drain from his shoulders. I realized that he did his best while I was gone, but deep down he had a hard time keeping up with everything. He hadn’t told me that part, but it was because he didn’t want to sound like that was the only reason he’d missed me.

  “Sure,” I said. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  I waved as he backed out of the driveway. Once he was gone, my shoulders slumped and I sighed. Most of the time, I was a pretty good wife, so I tried not to get too discouraged at what I’d put my husband through. At least I had a couple of hours to get the house cleaned up and, after I picked up Savannah, I could go to the grocery store and buy something good to cook for dinner.

  But before I started any of that, I wanted to take a look at everything Chris had found on Sean Hanley. Now that I was back, uneasiness filled me. I didn’t know when or how, but I knew he would come after me at some point, and I needed to be prepared. In the den, a folder with Sean’s name lay on top of the desk, and I thanked my lucky stars that Chris was so meticulous about his research.

  Inside were copies of Sean’s birth certificate, driver’s license, and social security number. Holy cow, how did he get that? I turned the page and found he’d also done a criminal background check. I looked it over carefully, but Sean had never been arrested for anything and only showed traffic tickets for speeding.

  The next papers in the file were property records for the house Sean lived in. It looked like he bought the house three years ago on a short sale and was the sole owner of the property. I found a notepad and
jotted down the address, noting it was the same address that was on his driver’s license.

  Other papers in the file included tax and employment records, and it kind of made me sick to think that all kinds of records like this were available to the public. After scanning through all the information, I realized Sean looked like a regular guy, with nothing out of the ordinary that pointed him out as a serial killer.

  I finished going through the folder and realized something was missing. Then it hit me…Facebook. If I wanted to know about his personal and social life, Facebook was probably where I’d find it. Most people posted all kinds of things about themselves there.

  I turned on the computer and logged onto Facebook, then typed in his name. I found several Sean Hanleys, but he wasn’t among them. Could that be right? A computer geek in his late twenties and no Facebook account? Did that mean he knew something the rest of us didn’t?

  I sighed and turned it off. At least I had his address, and I folded up the notepaper and stuffed it into my jeans pocket. The address wasn’t too far from The corporate office plaza where Sean worked, and where Darcy had disappeared. That made it about ten minutes away from me. Maybe on my way to the grocery store, I could do a quick drive-by to familiarize myself with the neighborhood. That way, when I went back later to do a little spying, I’d know how to find it without a lot of trouble.

  ***

  As I pulled up to the school, I was tired, but in a good way. I’d vacuumed the whole house, cleaned up the kitchen, swept the floors, and even gotten the laundry started. The bell signaling the end of school rang, and I watched for Savannah to come out, anxious to show her the hat I’d bought.

  Instead of waiting in the car, I got out and leaned against the passenger side door. I wanted to give her a hug and show off the cute hat. A few minutes later, she emerged with her friends. When she glanced up, I waved. She caught sight of me and waved back, then hurried to the car with a happy smile.

  “You’re home!” she said, giving me a big hug. “Did Dad tell you what he did?” I nodded, and she turned to her friend. “Dad caught the patio swing on fire last night. I got home from dance just in time to see it. The flames were shooting up so high.”

  She had the attention of the whole carpool now. “He got it out with the hose, but for a minute there, I thought the whole house was going to burn down.” She glanced at me. “Did you see what was left of the swing? He felt really bad.” She was thinking that she’d never forget the look of pure shock on his face.

  “Yes he did,” I said. “And to make up for it, we’re going to get a new swing tomorrow.”

  “That’s good,” she agreed, and finally noticed the hat I held in my hand. “Where’d you get that?”

  “It’s for you,” I said, smiling. “Unless you don’t like it. Then I want it back.” She took it from me and squealed her delight. “This is great.” She put it on her head and smiled.

  “Lookin’ good,” I said with a wink. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  The kids piled in the car and I hurried around to the driver’s side. After shutting the door and putting on my seatbelt, I turned the ignition. Just as the car came to life, a loud knock on my window startled me. I jerked and glanced up, locking gazes with Sean Hanley. I let out a surprised yelp and pulled back from the window before I gained any semblance of composure.

  Sean’s brows rose at my reaction, but he smiled pleasantly and waited for me to roll down my window.

  “Sorry about that,” he said. “I guess I surprised you.” He was thinking it had made his day to see me jump like that. “I just thought I’d say hello.” He glanced inside and nodded at Savannah. “Oh…so you’re Savannah’s mom? I didn’t know that. What a coincidence.”

  “How do you know Savannah?” I asked. My stomach clenched, and the hairs stood up on my arms.

  “I teach one of Savannah’s classes…well…substitute teach. Right Savannah?”

  “What class?” I broke in before she could say anything. I hated thoughts of her talking to him at all and didn’t want this creep anywhere near my daughter.

  “Science.”

  “Oh. So you’re a substitute teacher? How long have you been doing that?”

  “Hmm…” he said, calculating the time. “Just about six years.”

  The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and a chill ran down my spine, but I tried to keep a pleasant smile on my face. “Really? That’s nice.”

  “Yeah, it keeps me out of trouble.” He smiled, thinking how ironic that statement was. “Have you decided if you want to use my company’s marketing plan yet? I know I could set up something nice for you.”

  “Uh…not yet. I’m still thinking about it.”

  “Well, let me know if you do.” He smiled, thinking this little meeting had worked out perfectly. Glancing between me and Savannah, the similarities between us stood out. “Wow…you two sure look a lot alike. Now that I see you together, I can see the resemblance.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “We get that a lot.”

  When I didn’t continue, he decided it was time to leave. “Well…I’ll let you go. It’s been nice seeing you again. Bye Savannah.” He gave her a quick wave, which Savannah half-heartedly acknowledged, and turned back toward his car.

  I left my window down and concentrated on his thoughts, needing to pick up something useful before he got in. He was happy he’d scared me, and a rush of anticipation swept over him. Not long now, and I’d be his, then…

  His door shut before I could pick up anything else, and my heart raced. I blinked and glanced at Savannah, giving her a weak smile. She was thinking that she didn’t like Mr. Hanley much and was glad he was just a substitute teacher. He was too friendly, and it made her uncomfortable, especially since he seemed to pay more attention to her than anyone else in the class. He kept staring at her and it had kind of freaked her out these last few days.

  Alarm prickled over my skin. “How long has he been substituting?” I asked.

  “Since Wednesday.”

  He’d been there for three days? I’d only talked to Sean at his office on Monday, so how the hell had he managed to get a substitute teaching position at my daughter’s school so fast? “What happened to your real teacher?”

  She shrugged. “I think he got sick or something.”

  My mouth went dry, and sudden fear made it hard to swallow. This was not how I expected things to happen. Not at all.

  “Can we go now?” Savannah asked, wondering why I was staring at her with a crazy look in my eyes. I was just sitting there with the car running. What was wrong with me? That thought pretty much came from everyone in the car.

  “Of course,” I responded, and put the car in gear. As I drove the kids home, a tide of mounting anger rose up inside of me, and I knew I’d shoot that crazy son of a bitch myself before I let him harm my daughter. Whatever he had planned for me would be nothing compared to what I had planned for him.

  By the time Savannah and I entered the house, I had calmed somewhat…mostly for her sake, and showed her the other things I bought in Seattle. Josh came home soon after that and I told them both all about Pike Place Market and the other things I’d seen. Talking to them helped me feel better, especially when Josh told me his version of the swing catching on fire.

  I left soon after for the grocery store, deciding to wait for another time to drive by Sean’s house. For some reason, I just didn’t want to leave Savannah for that long. I quickly stocked up on everything we’d run out of in the last few days, and made it to the check-out without buying anything that wasn’t on my list. That had to be some kind of record.

  As I waited, the candy bars tempted me and I contemplated buying a couple. Two for a dollar was a pretty good deal, and I’d been so good. Just as I reached for one, I picked up a stray thought about me and goosebumps broke out on my arms. It was Sean, and he was thinking I had certainly bought a lot of food, but I was finally done and it was time to put his plan into action. His thoughts abruptly stopped so that
had to mean he’d left the store. I glanced around but couldn’t see him anywhere. Did that mean he was waiting for me in the parking lot?

  I chewed on my bottom lip, wishing I knew what his plans were. He wouldn’t do anything stupid in the parking lot, would he? I knew he’d taken Darcy while she was getting into her car, but that was in a parking structure with no one around. This was different. Still, I was grateful I had my stun flashlight in my purse. He wasn’t going to get anywhere near me without getting zapped.

  My shopping cart was full, and I rolled it in front of me like a shield toward my car. Knowing something was going to happen at any moment put me on edge, and I listened to thoughts so hard that I passed up my car and had to backtrack.

  Still hearing nothing, I began to unload my groceries. Where was he? What was he planning? Someone with a quiet mind walked past me and then stopped.

  “Shelby?” Sean said. “Whoa, this is nuts. Twice in one day.”

  With my heart pounding, I turned to face him. “Wow, it really is nuts. In fact, it’s so nuts, it almost looks like you planned the whole thing.” That startled a laugh out of him, so I continued. “I’ve never seen you at this grocery store before. Do you live around here?”

  “Not close, no,” he answered, thinking I was quick, and he’d better tell me something I’d believe that was close to the truth. “But it’s near the school, so I thought I’d grab a few things on my way home. Here, let me help you with that.” He took the sack from my arms and began unloading the rest of my cart for me. With his help we got done quickly, and he closed the trunk with a smile. “I’ll take your cart back for you.”

  “Oh, thanks.”

  “Sure. See you around.”

  As he pushed my cart away, I picked up that he was pleased he’d startled me, although my comment about him planning the meeting concerned him. Why would I say something like that? I was definitely not like the other women. I had a lot more spunk. In a way it was worrisome, but it also gave him something to look forward to.

  He could take his time breaking me. I’d probably scream a lot. And all that screaming would make it even sweeter once I started to beg. Good thing he’d sound-proofed the room. He hadn’t been back for a long time, so he should probably drive out there and open some windows. Maybe put out some air freshener. The smell should be gone by now, but he didn’t want the odor to be a distraction. He’d go home, grab something to eat, and drive straight there. It wouldn’t take long, and then he’d be back in time to get everything else ready. If it all worked out the way he’d planned, he’d have me there by tomorrow night.